Race Report: Fairview Heights Biathlon (4.5M Run, "20"M Bike)
July 16, 2006, Fairview Heights, Illinois
I wanted one last "tuneup" race prior to packing up my bike for shipment to Canada for the Duathlon World Championship. I also needed some redemption, personally, after a subpar result at the tri nationals.
It was very hot but there was a good turnout when I arrived at the park to do race day sign up. I should've arrived earlier because I was still running around before the race while some announcements were being made. I would be racing blind, so to speak, since I didn't know the course or hear any of the pre-race instructions. I don't recommend this approach, especially at a local, non-USAT, volunteer-light, event.
The first 1.5 miles of the run were mostly downhill. About 150 individuals and an estimated 20 or so team runners surged forward behind the lead vehicle. As Caleb G. went to the front as expected, he took the lead car with him into the distance, and I moved forward into second place temporarily, feeling fast on the slightly downhill. Once things leveled off, several runners were on my tail and soon I was looking at theirs as we hit the steep hill. It was a tough run, and I missed the second water stop as the volunteers smartly stayed in the shade on the far side of the turn and I saw them too late. I hit transition in 6th place in the individual race.
The bike went down the steep hill almost immediately. It was bumpy and rattling anything on my bike that wasn't welded together. There were all sorts of orange engineering markings on the road and I rode the brakes fearing I'd miss a turn. After crossing the railroad tracks we were out into the exposed country roads. It had to be close to 90 degrees. I passed three of the faster runners pretty early on, as Bill S. and Brad B. moved past me. Brad was hammering and showing good form and I saw him overtake Bill S. I was riding in 4th-5th as Bill and I traded spots a couple times. He'd catch me on the turns and I'd try to come back on the straights. I didn't know the course and the turn markers were late and sometimes unmanned.
As a team-biker passed me, I could see Brad, Bill, and the lead woman down the road. The slower competitors were riding toward us as the team guy made a confident left turn on what seemed to be an obscure road. I hesitated, but saw an arrow at the last second, cut through the oncoming riders and kept going as I shouted "was that right?" to the guy in front of me. I wasn't sure, but I made the turn and continued on, hoping for a sign or volunteer that I was good and he was right. It seemed that we were far from the park where we started. I was running low on fluids and I hadn't seen a volunteer in a while. Nor did I see the 3 riders that had been ahead of me in site, just before the turn. Something wasn't right. But wait, there's a volunteer directing me. Did I circle back onto the course? Where is everybody?
OK, this is almost 20 miles, and I spotted another racer behind me after a turn. 21 miles, 22 miles, out of water....this can't be right, I'm lost. Hey, there's a volunteer pointing again, here are the railroad tracks, I'm in the park, there's no one ahead of me or behind me. Here's the hill, there's the finish.
I cross the line confused. Three people ahead of me rode off the course, the bike portion was 3.5 miles too long, and suddenly I'm the 2nd place individual finisher. Not exactly how I envisioned "making the podium." To top it off, I was announced as the "overall female winner." With the way my name is spelled, I'm used to this, so I stood on the picnic table and declared my gender. Kristen picked up the the female title, finishing just behind me, 3rd overall.
Though I felt bad for the people who rode off the course, I was glad to get in a good workout, survive the heat, and have my last race before Canada go relatively well: 2nd place overall out of about 145 individual finishers.
I wanted one last "tuneup" race prior to packing up my bike for shipment to Canada for the Duathlon World Championship. I also needed some redemption, personally, after a subpar result at the tri nationals.
It was very hot but there was a good turnout when I arrived at the park to do race day sign up. I should've arrived earlier because I was still running around before the race while some announcements were being made. I would be racing blind, so to speak, since I didn't know the course or hear any of the pre-race instructions. I don't recommend this approach, especially at a local, non-USAT, volunteer-light, event.
The first 1.5 miles of the run were mostly downhill. About 150 individuals and an estimated 20 or so team runners surged forward behind the lead vehicle. As Caleb G. went to the front as expected, he took the lead car with him into the distance, and I moved forward into second place temporarily, feeling fast on the slightly downhill. Once things leveled off, several runners were on my tail and soon I was looking at theirs as we hit the steep hill. It was a tough run, and I missed the second water stop as the volunteers smartly stayed in the shade on the far side of the turn and I saw them too late. I hit transition in 6th place in the individual race.
The bike went down the steep hill almost immediately. It was bumpy and rattling anything on my bike that wasn't welded together. There were all sorts of orange engineering markings on the road and I rode the brakes fearing I'd miss a turn. After crossing the railroad tracks we were out into the exposed country roads. It had to be close to 90 degrees. I passed three of the faster runners pretty early on, as Bill S. and Brad B. moved past me. Brad was hammering and showing good form and I saw him overtake Bill S. I was riding in 4th-5th as Bill and I traded spots a couple times. He'd catch me on the turns and I'd try to come back on the straights. I didn't know the course and the turn markers were late and sometimes unmanned.
As a team-biker passed me, I could see Brad, Bill, and the lead woman down the road. The slower competitors were riding toward us as the team guy made a confident left turn on what seemed to be an obscure road. I hesitated, but saw an arrow at the last second, cut through the oncoming riders and kept going as I shouted "was that right?" to the guy in front of me. I wasn't sure, but I made the turn and continued on, hoping for a sign or volunteer that I was good and he was right. It seemed that we were far from the park where we started. I was running low on fluids and I hadn't seen a volunteer in a while. Nor did I see the 3 riders that had been ahead of me in site, just before the turn. Something wasn't right. But wait, there's a volunteer directing me. Did I circle back onto the course? Where is everybody?
OK, this is almost 20 miles, and I spotted another racer behind me after a turn. 21 miles, 22 miles, out of water....this can't be right, I'm lost. Hey, there's a volunteer pointing again, here are the railroad tracks, I'm in the park, there's no one ahead of me or behind me. Here's the hill, there's the finish.
I cross the line confused. Three people ahead of me rode off the course, the bike portion was 3.5 miles too long, and suddenly I'm the 2nd place individual finisher. Not exactly how I envisioned "making the podium." To top it off, I was announced as the "overall female winner." With the way my name is spelled, I'm used to this, so I stood on the picnic table and declared my gender. Kristen picked up the the female title, finishing just behind me, 3rd overall.
Though I felt bad for the people who rode off the course, I was glad to get in a good workout, survive the heat, and have my last race before Canada go relatively well: 2nd place overall out of about 145 individual finishers.
posted by JPD at Friday, August 25, 2006
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